Implementation Evaluation of Operation Phakisa

This report presents the findings of an implementation evaluation of Operation Phakisa conducted by Citofield who were commissioned by the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) and the Operation Phakisa Intervention Support Unit (ISU). The evaluation process commenced in May 2021 and ended in September 2022. Operation Phakisa was identified by the South African government as a planning and implementation methodology whose key features include acceleration of service delivery. It brings a range of key stakeholders together for intensive and detailed practical planning and solution finding and is aimed at fast tracking the delivery of collaborative projects. While modelled around the Malaysia’s “Big Fast Results” (BFR), this delivery mechanism was adapted to the South African context and reflected the government’s commitment to deliver on priorities outlined in the National Development Plan of 2030 (NDP) in a faster, more efficient, and effective way. This results-oriented mechanism was seen as an opportunity to elevate planning for results in implementation plans based on agreed solutions that have clear timelines and targets. The guiding principle became that of “enhanced competitiveness’ often compressed into the strategic aim of getting the private sector, the government, and other key stakeholders to work collaboratively to accelerate service delivery in key national priority areas. There was also a strong emphasis on the need for political buy-in to unblock government processes that were slowing down delivery and to set up delivery mechanisms that would function as conduits for solving matters of national priority with urgency. The implementation evaluation was undertaken to meet the following two objectives: Evaluation approach To meet the learning objective for this evaluation, the evaluation team undertook a Utilisation- Focused Evaluation (UFE) approach pioneered by Michael Quinn Patton in 1978, whereby the work was engaged extensively with all the relevant stakeholders with the intention of utilising the results. Implementation Evaluation of the Operation Phakisa September 2022 Complementing the UFE, the evaluation team undertook a theory-based approach (Chen and Rossi, 1980) as it set out to do the following: • Describe and test the theory of change for the Operation Phakisa.